


The All-Nighter

by ddagent



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Friendship, Library Sex, Romance, Studying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 17:22:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8925772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddagent/pseuds/ddagent
Summary: With their final exam imminent, study partners Phil and Melinda head to the library together one last time. Written for the Philinda Secret Santa.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, @sarahastro84, I am your secret santa! SURPRISE! : ) It's been lovely chatting with you, and I really hope you like your gift. I'm a sucker for high school/college AUs myself, so I hope I've done it justice. Happy Holidays! Also, I’d like to thank @righteousnerd for reading through this for me. I always appreciate your support and guidance! 
> 
> Prompt: “high school or college AU”

_Another one down,_ Phil thought as he left the lecture hall, _just one more to go._

Rubbing the back of his neck, Phil followed the slow moving line of broken students as they stumbled towards coffee shops, dorm rooms, _any place_ as long as it was far away from their recent exam. It had been tough, but Phil was confident in his knowledge and the answers he provided. The pale and harried faces of his peers told him that he, however, was in the minority. In a perfect world, he would be heading back to his dorm room to pack for winter break. But this wasn’t a perfect world. This was a world where his English Lit final was tomorrow, and he couldn’t remember a damn thing.

He was still trying to recall something, _anything_ from his fall semester classes when he arrived back at his dorm. He slipped the key in the lock, immediately greeted by his roommate on the x-box. Mack paused his game, picking up his head to stare at Phil. “So, how’d it go?”

“Okay.” He shrugged. “We’ll have to see when my grades come in.”

Dropping his bag to the ground, Phil collapsed face first onto his sheets. He wanted to sleep; wanted to sleep in his _bed_ instead of at the library or in the twenty-four hour diner two blocks off campus. He wanted a shower; he wanted a meal that wasn’t chips or diet soda. But it wasn’t to be. _One more final. One more._ Then he could sleep, then he could shower, then he could eat. _One more._

“Oh, Melinda stopped by.” Phil heard the sound of Mack’s x-box game paused once again, and suddenly a note was tucked into the gap between his face and hand. “She changed her shift, wanted to know if you were free for a study session.”

Phil lifted his head from the sheets, his eyes taking a few moments to focus on Melinda’s neat print. He recognised the number; it was the student bar on campus, _Bucks_. Phil dug into his pocket for his cell and quickly dialled the number, pressing his phone tightly against his ear.

“ _Bucks.”_

“Hi, is Melinda there? It’s Phil, Phil Coulson. ”

A pause, the distant sound of hushed voices. Then, _her. “Hey Phil. You got my message.”_

“Yeah, Mack just gave it to me. Library, bout an hour?”

 _“Sounds good. I’ll bring the snacks._ ”

A soft smile crept onto his face. “I’ll bring the coffee. See you then.”

Phil ended the call. Then, after taking a moment to breathe, he forced himself up and got to work. He grabbed his shower bag and a towel, heading for the communal showers at the other end of the hall. He made sure to grab his razor and aftershave, deliberately avoiding the smirk Mack threw his way. He showered quickly, making sure to wash away three nights of little sleep in the process. He shaved, applied deodorant. He padded back to his dorm room in jeans and a dark blue shirt.

Back in his room, Mack was getting his ass handed to him by his girlfriend Elena. When it came to _Sonic the Hedgehog,_ she was queen. “You clean up good, Coulson. Hot date?”

“ _No_.”

“Yes.”

Phil glared at Mack as he stowed his shower bag. “I have a study session with a friend, that’s all.”

“Yeah, a friend you happen to have a thing for.” Mack cursed as Elena won another round. “You haven’t showered in three days, but as soon as she called you got your ass in water. You’re even wearing a damn _shirt._ ”

Phil faltered, staring at his reflection in the window pane. He _did_ look like he was going on a date. Nice jeans, clean shirt, his best shoes. He’d showered and shaved and was even wearing the expensive aftershave his aunt and uncle had bought him last Christmas. The last time he’d dressed like this was his brief romance with Rosalind last year. _But this wasn’t a date._ This was just two friends, _two study partners,_ cramming all night in the library. Nothing more.

Feeling the weight of both Mack and Elena’s gaze, Phil quickly unbuttoned his shirt and threw on the only clean t-shirt he had left. He now looked like any other student heading for a study session. With his notes in his bag and a couple of books under his arm, he offered his friends a wave.

“See you tomorrow, guys.” They both smirked. “It’s not a date!”

Yet, as Phil closed the door behind him, he really wished it was.

\-- 

Phil had known Melinda May ever since freshman year. He’d turned the corner in the campus bookstore where he worked part time just as a tiny brunette tried to reach a book on the highest shelf. Three psychology volumes and a collection on sociology landed on her head. She apologised for the mess, unfazed by any pain to herself. Phil couldn’t quite remember what he’d said during their conversation; he just recalled being nineteen and faced with what was possibly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

The next three years had been filled with such occurrences. He and Melinda had never been friends before this semester, but they had been _friendly._ She visited the campus bookstore occasionally, Phil always making sure to ask if she wanted any help. He’d seen her in track meets when he’d gone with Mack to cheer on Elena. For an entire semester they had crossed paths in the gym: Melinda often finishing an early session just as Phil arrived. He’d expected more of the same senior year when fate chose to intervene. He’d shown up to his first English Lit class to find only one seat left in the back. Sitting beside him was none other than Melinda May.

From there, they had become study partners. They’d quiz each other on the material before each test; they’d compare notes on the various novels they were required to read. Melinda often gave him a free drink when he and Mack visited _Bucks_ and he’d bring coffee to their early morning classes. They were close; spent a great deal of time together. But as the semester progressed, Phil realised that what had started as an initial attraction had become something else entirely. 

He had feelings for her.

“Can I help you?”

Phil’s smile was thin as the barista disturbed his train of thought. “Yeah, could I get a black coffee, extra shot of espresso, and a green tea? Thank you.”

After the barista took his money, Phil stood off to one side and let the next student in line order. Looking at the queue was like looking in a mirror: tired and hungry students, desperate for a good night’s sleep or half an hour where they weren’t worrying over finals. At least the prospect of failing English Lit was a suitable enough distraction from his fears that once this class was done, he and Melinda would return to being just _friendly._ He’d figured his time was up after their last class, when Melinda explained she would be studying for their last final between customers at _Bucks_. But Phil had received his Christmas wish, and was able to spend one last study session with Melinda.

The barista slid a coffee and a green tea in front of him, and Phil picked it up with a smile. He took a sip of his coffee as he made his way to the third floor, relishing the extra jolt of caffeine. The third floor was often quiet, people opting for the computers on the lower floors. But there were a few students present, huddled around textbooks and study notes. His partner was one of them; sitting on their table towards the back of the library, nearest the stacks. Melinda lifted her head as she heard the door to the stairwell close behind him, and waved him over.

“You look like hell,” she greeted, taking the green tea from his outstretched fingers. “Thank you for the tea, though.”

“Any time.” Phil slid his bag off his shoulder and collapsed into the chair beside Melinda. Another sip of coffee. “I had my History 403 final this afternoon.”

Melinda nodded, smiling over the plastic lid of her tea. “You aced it, didn’t you?”

Phil couldn’t help the smug look on his face. “I think I did. Helped that I had a good meal beforehand. Thank you for _that_ , by the way.”

A simple shrug. “Not a problem. You need to eat.”

Melinda was always looking out for him like that. His first all-nighter this week, revising for his History 403 final, had been _rough_. He remembered texting Melinda at three am as the vending machine ate his last dollar. Later that day, after a few restless hours in his dorm, he’d woken to a Tupperware container full of cold chicken salad and a lime green smoothie which, in all fairness, _had_ tasted disgusting. But after eating nothing but junk for the past twenty-four hours, it had been a welcome relief.

Phil found himself smiling across the table at Melinda, incredibly grateful to have her in his life. “So, I brought the coffee. Did you bring the snacks?”

“I did.” Melinda reached into her bag and pulled out a box of healthy study snacks: carrot sticks, crackers, almonds. “I also brought plenty of water; it’s important to keep hydrated. Caffeine will only keep you going for so long.”

“I know.” They’d had this argument on their last all-nighter, when he’d tried to get bad coffee from the vending machine at one am and she’d forced a bottle of water into his hand. “Although, to be honest, all-nighters usually involve Red Bull and any takeout food you can hide from the librarian.”

Melinda snorted. “Tell you what: if we finish the notes for _Frankenstein_ by midnight, I’ll sneak us in pizza.”

They shared a grin, before both of them reached for their first book. Studying with Melinda was always a joy. Yet that joy quickly turned sour as Phil realised that this was likely to be their last time.

\-- 

 _Gothic and Horror Fiction_ was one of the more challenging English Literature electives. Melinda had signed up because she liked Stephen King and enjoyed a good mystery. Phil had signed up because the class on _Science Fiction_ was already full. After a tough mid-term and a _painful_ paper, their final exam would centre around two of the ten books on their reading list. Phil and Melinda were focussing on _Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, American Psycho,_ and _Carrie._ As Phil’s watch softly ticked towards midnight, their notes on _American Psycho_ were finished and they were halfway through _Frankenstein._ But, as his eyes grew weary, Phil wasn’t sure how much longer he could continue.

“Phil. _Phil._ ” A hand rested on his shoulder; a thumb brushed the nape of his neck. “ _Wake up._ ”

He blinked once, twice, realising with embarrassment that he had fallen asleep at their table. Melinda had left to use the bathroom and he’d closed his eyes for just a second… He woke to Melinda’s soft smile beside him, her hand still resting against his skin. “Sorry. I haven’t been getting enough sleep.”

“So I see.” Melinda passed him a bottle of water which Phil drank from greedily. “We should probably take a break. We’ve been hitting the books pretty hard.”

Phil glanced across the ream of handwritten notes he’d compiled from his and Melinda’s observations. Taking a break – more than a bathroom break or thirty seconds to eat a couple of crackers – sounded like an _amazing_ idea. “I’m game.”

Together they pushed their books and notes to the other end of the table so they could give themselves a breather. Phil was desperate for another cup of coffee, but knew that his body needed water. He felt the crunch of plastic in his hand as he guzzled half the bottle. Across from him, Melinda sipped her own. The librarian passed them, then, nodding approvingly at the half empty container of healthy snacks. But as soon as the librarian moved into another section of the floor, Melinda was digging through her bag. She tossed something warm and greasy at him. _A cheeseburger._

“Pizza place was closed. You should eat something.”

Phil glanced around to double check the coast was clear before digging in. He took an eager mouthful, relishing the ketchup and mustard on his tongue. He grinned, making sure to swallow before saying, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I was hungry any way. Almonds aren’t a meal.”

Phil couldn’t help but agree with that. He appreciated the water, the healthy snacks. He always seemed more alert when he studied with Melinda. But nothing beat a good old fashioned burger. Phil took another mouthful, chewing quickly just in case the librarian returned. The sudden influx of food into his system seemed to rejuvenate him.

“So, you going back home for winter break?”

Melinda nodded. “For a few days. I might come back early, see if I can work a couple of shifts over New Years. You?”

Phil couldn’t help the grin come over his face as he thought about Christmas and home. “I’m driving back as soon as my last class is done. I’m really looking forward to seeing my family, getting the house all ready for Christmas. I’m even looking forward to shovelling the driveway.”

“That sounds nice. We don’t really do much at Christmas.” Melinda finished her burger, rolling the paper into a tight ball. “That was really my father’s area.”

Melinda didn’t often talk about her parents, but he knew that they were divorced. “You’re not going to his place this year?”

She shook her head, a few brown strands crossing over her face. “I’m visiting my mother this year. At least there’s snow in Pennsylvania. I can’t picture Christmas in Arizona.”

Phil couldn’t either. Raised in Wisconsin, he’d always associated Christmas with snow covered boots, hot chocolate, and the need for three blankets to feel warm. He couldn’t imagine enjoying Christmas in shorts and a t-shirt, or having a snow cone to keep cool. Phil wondered, just for a moment, whether Melinda would enjoy a snowball fight in the park just behind his house. Or whether she’d come ice skating with him on the lake. Or if she’d eat his Christmas tree cookies, decorated with thick green icing and edible gold baubles. 

“Melinda-“

She lifted her head. “Yes?”

 _You can’t ask her to come home with you._ “You didn’t happen to get any fries, did you?”

Smirking, Melinda dug once more into her bag and pulled out two containers of large fries. Phil bobbed his head, silently kicking himself for being so _stupid_. They were friends, good friends. But inviting Melinda home for Christmas was the act of a desperate man. If he wanted their friendship to continue past the English Lit final, he couldn’t scare her away. So as they made their way through the fries, Phil turned his attention to a much safer topic: _the final_.

“How you feeling about all this?”

A shrug. “Not sure. All my courses are practical, this is something else.” Melinda was a languages major, with a minor focus in international relations. This was the first course, other than a photography elective, that Melinda had chosen for herself. “I understand the themes in _Carrie._ But trying to compare the theme of ‘nature’ between Frankenstein and Mr Hyde? I’d rather go a couple of rounds in the gym.”

Phil chuckled. “I know what you mean. I’m really glad you signed up to this class otherwise I’d feel totally out of my depth.”

“ _Thanks_.”

“Not what I meant.” Phil threw her a smile. “This class would have driven me crazy. I’d have probably failed the midterm _and_ the assignment had it not been for you. We work well together.”

Melinda beamed. “We do.”

They were the perfect study partners. He got the coffee, Melinda provided the healthy snacks. He excelled at analysis, whilst Melinda could remember facts and figures. They took notes in tandem during class, focusing on their strengths and comparing notes later. They got on well outside of class too, both of them enjoying athletics and martial arts. Phil really hoped they could still be close after their final. But with no other classes in common, and no other friends in common either, it seemed unlikely.

But, then, _hope._

“You know, once we get our grades, we should celebrate.”

Phil stared across the table at Melinda. Her eyes shone, catching his gaze and refusing to let go. “Yeah?”

A nod. “Yeah. We should open that bottle. You know the one.”

He did. It had been after their midterm, their first all-nighter together. They had left the library at five in the morning; both of them sleep deprived and more than a little hungry. They had wandered into the nearest convenience store desperate for food (Melinda had bought a banana, Phil had sprung for doughnuts). As they paid, Melinda had pointed out the dusty bottle of Haig sitting behind the counter. _Dean Fury’s got one in his drinks cabinet_ , she told him. In his post-cram haze, Phil had coughed up the money for the bottle. They’d promised, sitting on the bench outside the store, that if they ever had a worse study session then they’d open that bottle.

After napping in his dorm room, Phil had kicked himself for spending so much money on a single bottle. But he’d kept it, thinking about Melinda and the idea of them one day sharing it together. It seemed fitting, then, that they should drink it to toast the end of their journey.

Phil smiled. “I’d like that.”

\-- 

Two am.

Most of the students who had been studying on the third floor when Phil arrived had since left, looking to crash out in their dorms or needing decent coffee from the twenty-four hour diner. The sludge in the vending machines by the stairwell was barely sufficient _;_ Phil had never tasted anything so bitter in his entire life. But at two am, with only three out of their four books covered, Phil needed caffeine. So with Melinda’s blessing, he had gone to retrieve a paper cup.

Rubbing his face to clear the sleep from his eyes, Phil had stood in front of the vending machine for a good five minutes before he realised he’d forgotten to press any buttons. Resting his head against the machine, Phil felt the whirr and spit of the coffee into the cheap orange cup. As disgusting as it was, Phil still swallowed half of it before he’d even made it back to their corner of the library.

On his way back to Melinda, Phil paused as he heard a noise in the stacks. Soft whispers; a giggle that was quickly hushed by another party. The reading material for his Lit final had put him on edge, and Phil was reluctant to investigate lest he run into the two little girls from _The Shining._ But as he crept past the stacks, Phil quickly realised the library wasn’t haunted. It was just two students using the bookshelves as cover as they had a quickie between the sociology and linguistic departments.

His face flushed, Phil quickly returned to their table. Melinda stared at him, forehead knitted as she observed his erratic return. “Phil, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” This wasn’t the first time he’d caught a couple in the middle of something, but it had never been so… _explicit._ “Do you have the notes for _Carrie_?”

Melinda continued to stare, still wanting an answer as to what had rattled him so. But Phil didn’t want to explain that he’d stumbled across a couple giving and receiving oral sex in the stacks. He didn’t want to say that to Melinda; so sure his brain would then immediately conjure images of himself and his study partner in similar positions. So he focused on the _Carrie_ notes, his brain trying to convert the printed phrases into information he could digest.

But then the _moans_ began.

Melinda twisted in her chair, peering into the dim light of the library towards the stacks. A series of _oh god, oh yeah, that’s it baby_ punctuated the silence of the third floor. Phil wanted to crawl under the table. Even Melinda had flushed a little pink. She quickly turned from the stacks, her dark eyes flicking between him and the textbooks in front of them.

“Someone should tell them that this is the quiet floor.”

Phil swallowed a chuckle, his eyes glinting across the table. “By all means.”

Melinda smirked, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder. “We should get back to studying.”

“We should.”

And they tried. _They really did try._ They stumbled over Phil’s notes on the themes in _Carrie,_ every discussion point punctuated by another moan or the sound of a book dropping to the floor. Melinda tried to share her work on dates, publishing facts, the timeline of the book. But Phil watched her shoulders fix into a straight line as they continued to hear them fucking from three stacks over. For a brief moment they managed to test each other with flashcards. But then the whole process began again.

Hands clenched, Melinda threw herself back in her seat. “This is ridiculous.”

Phil couldn’t help but agree. He’d never had that sort of stamina. _What was that guy on?_ “We should probably take a break.”

Melinda nodded absentmindedly, barely paying any attention to Phil but instead fixing her gaze on the stacks where the couple were _still_ going at it. Phil busied himself with a bottle of water, trying to keep himself hydrated. In reality, he was trying to focus on anything but the sounds he could hear. With very little sleep, his defences were down. Suddenly his brain was giving him a pop quiz: _what would Melinda sound like during sex? Would she moan like that, would she scream? What would her lips taste like? What would it feel like to have her legs wrapped around you?_

Spluttering at the image of Melinda riding him, Phil desperately tried to mop up their damp study notes. His partner twisted from her bizarre stakeout of the stacks to stare at him, forehead once again knotted in concern. “Everything okay, Phil?”

“Yeah, just…” _A little worked up._ “A little tense.”

Melinda nodded, her smile sympathetic. “You’re not the only one. Usually I do Tai Chi to unwind but it hasn’t been working. I’ve tried running, but between finals and working shifts at _Bucks_...”

His partner always seemed so on top of things. Phil couldn’t believe he had missed how much she was struggling. He should have noticed, should have done something to help her. Like she had for him. “You shouldn’t be here. You should have just taken tonight off. Got some sleep.”

“I wanted to see you.”

Phil froze, her words hanging in the air between them. He tried to open his mouth, tried to respond with anything resembling a sentence. But instead he just smiled, unable to stop the beaming grin from forming on his features. _She’d wanted to see him._ “I wanted to see you too.”

“Good.” Melinda held his gaze, her tongue darting out to wet her bottom lip. Phil swallowed as he watched the path of her tongue, unable to fight the growing heat in his belly. His partner smirked, as if she knew the intimate direction his thoughts were taking. “Phil, do you trust me?”

“I… _yes._ ”

A grin. “Good. Then come with me. I think I have an idea how we can relax.”

Melinda pushed away from the table, immediately grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. Phil tried to stammer out his reservations, a copy of _Dr Jekyll and Mister Hyde_ held strategically against the growing bulge in his pants. But Melinda wouldn’t take no for an answer.

For a moment, Phil wondered if she planned to take him up to the roof, maybe join the old student tradition of screaming their stresses away. But they’d barely made it four paces before Melinda was pushing him into one of the stacks. He was shoved up against a book shelf, Melinda’s hands sliding against his shoulders, the nape of his neck. Suddenly the lips he had so admired were pressed against his, stealing a kiss. He immediately kissed her back, his brain not focusing on _how_ or _why_ but merely on _who. Her._

Melinda tasted like green tea. He could feel the stickiness of the chapstick on her mouth, the faint taste of cherry on her lips. Phil heard her breath catch as his teeth gently caught her bottom lip. Hands went everywhere; exploring, caressing. Melinda’s tugged at his t-shirt; ran along his stomach, his hip bones. His own touch was not passive; warm fingers sliding underneath dark fabric to touch bare skin. Phil pressed Melinda as close to him as he could, unwilling to let go. It was only when he felt her fingers pull at his zipper that he broke their kiss.

“Melinda, wh-“

“Just to take the edge off.” She punctuated her point with another stolen kiss. “Think of it as stress relief.”

Phil tried to engage his brain, tried to think of anything but the eager hands brushing the swollen front of his jeans. This was never how he had imagined his first time with Melinda May. But he needed a release just as badly as she did. So he nodded, his hands immediately sliding over her jeans to cup her ass. “ _I want you_.”

“I want you too.” Melinda kissed him hard, all tongue and teeth. Her fingers palmed the front of his jeans, sliding against his half-hard cock. “I want you _now_.”

Phil lost himself in another kiss, focusing on nothing but the way Melinda’s lips felt against his own, or the sensation of her hands rubbing him through his jeans. He caught her bottom lip with his teeth as her fingers once again toyed with his zipper, dragging the metal against his swollen cock. Phil spun them around, then, pushing his study partner hard against the plastic bookshelves. She gasped as he pressed his full weight against her small frame.

“I need a condom.”

“Back pocket.” Melinda grinned, taking Phil’s hand and guiding it towards her ass. He felt the edges of the foil wrapper, but didn’t move to take it. Instead he pressed further into Melinda, relishing the friction between them. “ _Phil…_ ”

He slid his hand over his stomach, reaching inside his boxer shorts and dragging out his cock. He felt himself _throb_ as he caught Melinda wet her mouth, eyes glinting at the sight of him fully erect. He teased himself for a moment, needing to relieve the pressure building inside him. Then he tore into the wrapper, dragging the condom over his cock. He looked down at Melinda, swallowing as he found his partner sliding her own hand between her legs. 

“God, _Melinda_ -“

She didn’t respond, just used her free hand to tug him forwards. They kissed, eyes half open, as Melinda guided him inside her. She was hot, _wet,_ and Phil couldn’t stop the groan at how good she felt. He told her so between hurried thrusts, fucking Melinda into the bookshelves. She encouraged him with every syllable, with every nip to his earlobe, with every set of nails scoring his back. Phil wanted to feel skin against skin, wanted to hear every moan and sigh. But this was the library, _the quiet floor._ This had to be enough.

“Fuck, _Melinda._ ”

“Harder, Phil _, harder_.”

She stroked the nape of his neck, gently teasing his hair. He was close, _so close._ They both needed this, wanted this. But Melinda needed it a little more. Phil relinquished the grip on her hip, instead brushing his thumb against her clit in time with his thrusts. Melinda’s eyes snapped open at the contact, holding his gaze as he fucked her to orgasm. He watched Melinda’s teeth draw blood in an effort to stop herself from crying out. Phil, however, wasn’t so controlled. Her name was the only thought in his mind, the only word on his lips. He said it against her mouth, her throat.

_Melinda._

He whispered it in the quiet aftermath, gently brushing away errant strands of dark hair from her beautiful face. The sex had been passionate, desperate. The aftermath was soft, intimate.

The librarian, however, didn’t agree.

\--

Phil could only remember one other time he had felt so embarrassed. But even throwing up at his grade school recital did not compare to being frogmarched across the library after being discovered screwing in the stacks. The librarian practically had her fingers around his ear as she escorted him and Melinda down the stairwell and across the ground floor, catching the eye of every student present. He felt their gaze _burn,_ could feel them _whisper_ and _snigger._ Phil had tried to explain, tried to provide some sort of excuse. But the librarian had literally caught him with his pants down.

“I hope when you return in the New Year, both of you are a little more _respectful._ ”

The doors to the library swung close behind the librarian, leaving him and Melinda out in the bitter cold. Phil felt himself shiver in his boots, his jacket balled up in his arms. His pants still felt sticky from his quick attempts to make himself decent. _He’d been kicked out of the library._ “I can’t believe this.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Melinda pressed her hand to his shoulder, her thumb brushing against his collarbone. “It’s not like we got _banned_.”

“No, we’ll just be the laughing stock of the entire campus.” _He’d got escorted off the premises._ “I guess we should hit the diner, finish our notes.” He turned to Melinda, expecting to see her rally and lead the way towards a slice of pie and a fresh batch of coffee. But she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Melinda?”

“Honestly, Phil, I don’t think I can do any more. I just want to sleep.”

Her admission was like a switch, and suddenly Phil felt the fatigue in his bones. They had been studying for hours and he was running on very little sleep to begin with. Getting found by the librarian had been a wakeup call. It was time to call it a night. But Phil wasn’t sure that he wanted to say goodnight to Melinda just yet. _Sure_ he would see her at their Lit final in a few hours; _yes_ they had that bottle of Haig to drink. But after their interlude in the stacks, Phil wanted to hold onto this night for just a little longer.  

“Come home with me.”

Melinda faltered. “Phil, I-“

“You live off campus; it’s going to take you a while to get home. We could be sound asleep in half an hour. So stay with me tonight.” He leant forward, his fingers toying with the edges of her jacket. “Mack’s out, I can take his bed.”

“I think we’re a little past separate beds now, Phil.” Her eyes shone. “Okay.”

Phil beamed, fighting the overwhelming urge to brush his lips against hers. But he resisted, instead resting her hand against the small of her back as they walked the short distance across campus to his dorm room. Phil tried to see this as a logical decision: after a good night’s sleep they could test each, read over a few more notes. But Phil knew he just wanted the excuse to spend a few more moments with Melinda.

However, an awkward silence descended over them as they entered his building. The rhythm of their study was familiar; even the passionate beat of sex was something Phil had quickly picked up. But the aftermath, the post coital necessity of _the talk,_ was something that hovered over both of them. Perhaps it would have been better if they had gone their separate ways. But then Phil caught Melinda staring at him, and he realised that he wasn’t the only one hoping for another hour, another minute together. So they continued their path to his room, Phil quickly unlocking the door just like he had only hours before. He led Melinda inside.

“Make yourself at home.”

As Phil discarded his belongings, Melinda perched on the corner of his bed. Her hands rested atop her knees, knuckles clenched as she tried to relax in his space. She’d been in his room before, of course. They’d studied in here; she’d given Mack a run for his money on the x-box. But everything was different now. Phil couldn’t help but see the bed behind her and imagine them together, happy and naked, talking about their grades and winter break. He caught Melinda’s eye, caught the glint in them. He wondered if she was thinking about that too.

“I have a spare set of pyjamas.” Phil walked over to his chest of drawers, finding a set of clean boxer shorts and an old _Captain America_ t-shirt he’d repurposed as sleepwear. A little big for Melinda but it would be comfortable. “Do you want to borrow my toothbrush?”

She nodded, taking the offered clothes with a smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Phil brushed the nape of his neck, unsure of his next move. “I’m going to go to the bathroom down the hall, give you some privacy.”

He took the other set of clean pyjamas: a dark sleep shirt and a pair of checked pyjama pants. _Nothing too embarrassing._ He then left Melinda alone in his bedroom and headed once more for the communal bathroom at the end of the hall. In just a few hours, everything had changed. He had stood in that shower stall earlier that day, daydreaming about a way he and Melinda could see each other after their final. But _now_ they’d kissed, had sex, and were about to spend the night together.

Phil stared in the mirror, not quite recognising the smile on his face. Even with the prospect of his Lit final tomorrow, Phil was happier than he had been in a long time. _She made him this happy._

Keeping that thought with him, Phil padded back to his room. He knocked twice. “Can I come in?”

“ _Yes_.”

Phil opened the door, closing it quickly behind him. He then stared, unable to look away. He was used to seeing Melinda in dark jeans, leather jackets; looking like she’d kick your ass if you talked to her funny. She was quiet, _yes_ , but confident. This was the first time he had ever seen Melinda truly uncertain. She stood by his bed, drowning in his pyjamas. The faded blue of the t-shirt made Melinda look younger than her years, more innocent. Yet despite the fixed line of her shoulders, the curtain of dark hair falling across her face, she was smiling.  

Phil dropped his clothes to the floor, immediately crossing the room to join Melinda. She reached for him, pulling him close. He held her face in his hands, thumb brushing across her bottom lip. She really was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He wanted to tell her that. He wanted to tell her how much he cared for her. He wanted to kiss along her jaw, across her cheeks, down her throat. He wanted to feel the weight of her small frame against his. Instead, _he yawned._

“Not quite the reaction I was hoping for.”

Phil winced, but Melinda’s smile was reassuring. “I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

“It’s gone three am.” Her forehead rested against his. “We should go to bed.”

Phil was too tired to follow up on the innuendo; instead he just nodded. He pulled back his sheets – blue, _thankfully,_ not his _Captain America_ bed set – and laid back against the wall. He thought to offer again to take Mack’s bed, or even the floor. But Melinda was already crawling in beside him, dark hair suddenly splayed across his pillow. They lay together, inches apart, soaking in the moment.

Melinda was the first to speak. “I didn’t think this would happen tonight.”

“When did you think this would happen?” Phil asked; tentatively brushing his hand against Melinda’s hip.

A shrug. “When we opened the Haig. I figured it would be then or never. I’ve been waiting for you to make a move for the past three years. Was starting to wonder if you ever would.”

 _You have got to be-_ Phil inwardly kicked himself, regretting all the moments he had considered asking the beautiful brunette out for coffee and ultimately deciding against it _._ They could have been together since freshman year! “You know, _you_ could have made a move.”

“ _I did_.”

“You did.” _The library_. Phil was grateful to Melinda for so many things. Her friendship, her support. Knowing what she wanted and going for it. He had never been shy with the opposite sex, but he’d always second guessed himself with Melinda. It didn’t matter now. She had made the first move. It was now his turn to make the second.  “So, I think I owe you dinner. Something that doesn’t come from a vending machine or a takeout place.”

Melinda responded with a kiss, brushing her lips gently against his. “I’m free for breakfast.”

“Breakfast it is.”

Phil wanted to talk more. He wanted to ask how long she had felt this way, when she had known that tonight was _the night._ He wanted to ask what happened after breakfast, what happened after their final, what happened after winter break. But now was not the time for talking. Phil stifled another yawn as he slid further under his sheets, resting his hand comfortably against Melinda’s hip. He could smell the shampoo from her hair, could feel her soft breath against his cheek. Through the thin light of his blinds, he watched Melinda close her eyes, finally unwound.

_I think I’m falling in love with you._

Closing his own eyes, Phil finally slept. 


End file.
